Commentary: Multiplication Tables in Excel

 

            I’ve used this activity many times, in different formats.  I used to give students a step-by-step tutorial (link), but then once at a summer institute for elementary teachers, I decided to try just asking them to make a multiplication table on Excel.  This was also the first time I had access to a projection unit, so students could share their work.  The activity is much more interesting when it is more open-ended.  There are several different ways to make the multiplication table, at different levels of sophistication in both using spreadsheets and understanding the multiplication table.  It’s a good activity for having students teach each other basics of the software.  Although I haven’t tried it, I think this activity would also work with children. 

            The sheet here is just a reference for commands that are useful in making the table.  I made up this particular version for a Math for Teachers class that had already used Excel a few times, where students had varied backgrounds with the software. 

            The arrows and/or spacing sometimes don’t show right in html, but they are correct in the doc and pdf files. 7/05

 

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